I feel Pokemon peaked at Gold and Silver. Emerald/Ruby I feel are the most forgettable, though every Pokemon has added something worthwhile to the franchise in some way. However Gold/Silver added just... so much, most of the content currently available was realized in Gold and Silver, and in that generation the concept of new Pokemon was an exciting thing, and their designs weren't quite so silly yet(at least for the majority). Back then opening up a gaming magazine and seeing a glimpse at a set of new Pokemon was exciting, whereas now everyone seems tired of having even more Pokemon and they're exhausting their ideas.
That's not to say I haven't enjoyed the new games. I have played beaten Black and White, and actually own Pearl. However I haven't even bothered to try to play Black and White 2... I may, but I'm not really going to go out of my way to do so.
I also do enjoy the 3D bit persective, but I think it was better in Pearl where it simply gave an aesthetic twist/appeal to the traditional topdown 2d. Now it's getting to the point where they're pulling off full 3D, but in a very ****ty way. Either stick to the 2D appeal of Pearl, or do an actual full-fledged 3D perspective game, not some asstastic midway point.